The child of John Scarborough and Mary Wilmeth, , Fred was the first cousin three-times-removed on the father's side of Jay Hannah, was born on Oct 10, 1877.
Salem News March 23, 1899
Jackson Twp.
A letter received from J. W. Scarborough of date March 12 states that hisson, Fred, who went with the 23d Regiment of Neb. To Cuba, is on theroadto the Philippine Islands. He also says that the weather is fine there,the roads dry and dusty and gardening has commenced. We cannot boast ofdry roads in this part of the country as the recent rain has made themalmost impassable.
American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project,1936-1940
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[Fred C. Scarborough]
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{Begin handwritten} [?] S241 - LA DUP {End handwritten}
FORM A Circumstances of Interview
NAME OF WORKER Harold J. Moss ADDRESS 6934 Francis St
DATE Sept. 26, 1938; Sept 30, 1938 SUBJECT Folklore, American
1. Name and address of informant Fred C. Scarborough Robbers Cave, 11thHigh Sts.
2. Date and time of interview Sept 26, 8-11 p.m. Sept 30, 4-6:30p.m.Oct. 13, 3-5:30 p.m.
3. Place of interview In the cave and residence
4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in touch withinformant None.
5. Name and address of person, if any, accompanying you None
6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc. First interview tookplace in the Cave in the various caverns. The dwelling house stands nearthe entrance to cave, on an elevation. [A?] low rambling structure, itsomewhat resembles a western ranch house. Very nicely furnished andrefined. The cave of course is a point of interest and it visited bythousands of people yearly who hold [picnics?], wienie roasts, suppersand parties in its depths.
Mr. and Mrs. Scarborough raisebirds and fish both as hobby andcommercially. {Begin handwritten} [???] {End handwritten}
FORM B Personal History of Informant
NAME OF WORKER Harold J. Moss ADDRESS 6934 Francis St.
DATE Sept 26-38; Sept 30 SUBJECT Folklore
NAME AND ADDRESS OF INFORMANT Fred C. Scarborough Robbers Cave 11th HighSt. Lincoln, Neb.
1. Ancestry English Quaker
2. Place and date of birth Salem, Iowa, Oct 10, 1877
3. Family Wife living, Father dead.
4. Place lived in, with dates Salem,Iowa, 1877 to 1884 Frontier Co. Nebr.1884, Oxford, Nebr. 1890 to 1900 Railroaded McCook-Denver 1900 to 1920 todate
5. Education, with dates Grade school Mt. Pleasant, la. 1882-83 Countryschool, Frontier Co. Neb. 1883 to 1890 Oxford, Neb. 1890 to 1894.Graduated from high school in 1894.
6. Occupations and accomplishments, with dates.
Seargant in U. S. army, Spanish War [1896?] to 1900. Railroad trainman1900 to 1920, conductor, C. B. [Q?].
7. Special skills and interests
Operated cave property1920 to date, raising birds, chickens, and fish, asa hobby and commercially.
8. Community and religious activities.
No particular activities except lodges.
9. Description of informant. Medium height, trifle stout. Regularfeatures, smiling expression, [ruddy?] complexion, very pleasingpersonality and
10. Other points gained in interview
[Is?] congenial yet firm in a [business?] way. Has many of thecharacteristics of a railroad trainman, somewhat detached, and verydirect. [With?] executive ability. Very intelligent, observing and has ananalytical mind and imagination. Enthusiastic as to the cave and takesgreat pride in it as well as the birds and fish. Is not boresome however.
FORM C Text of Interview (Unedited)
NAME OF WORKER Harold J. Moss ADDRESS 6934 Francis St.
DATE Sept 26, 30, 38. SUBJECT Folklore
NAME AND ADDRESS OF INFORMANT Fred C. Scarborough, 11th High St. Lincoln,Nebr.
Our family, ancestors, originally English lived in the United Statesbefore the Revolutionary War. This old Masonic letter, is dated 1763. Theoriginal hand seal of wax is still attached.
A letter such as this was probably carried when one traveled to anotherplace, much the same as identification cards are used today. Father'sgreat grandfather John Scarborough lived in Orleans County N. York, atthis time. His father was killed in 1860 in his own yard, upon his returnfrom delivering a group of runaway slaves to the next depot, near KeokukIowa. He had a blind cellar dug to one side of the house. It was enteredby pulling out a dummy table from the wall. These runaway slaves would bekept there a while and then moved on to the next depot. My father was asmall boy at that time eight years old but he used to carry messages,through the timber to friendly forces. Robbers Cave is located near theold town of Lancaster, Nebraska, and was at one time suppose to be aheadquarters for outlaws and criminals, who used this place as a hideout.It is even connected up with Pawnee Indian Spirit Legends, tho' probablyvisited only by the medicine men and chiefs. Along about 1879 theentrance to cave was through the basement, of an old dance hall andsporting house, which stood here. This place was [?] as a thieves hangoutand in 1863
The Anti Horse Thief Association burned it down. The fire was set bywhite caps.
Frank Rawlins, who drove a hack for 'The White Elephant' Livery BarninLincoln used to drive a 'Mr. Howard' out here often. Some thought this'Mr. Howard' was 'Jesse James!
This may have been. When we cleaned the cave we found an old carving.
'A thief and a coward
Was Mr. Howard
But he laid as Jesse James
in his grave.'
The first cavern in the cave was fixed with 16 stalls. In cleaning outthis cavern, we found 244 old rusty horseshoes. Everything was screenedand we had a bushel basket of broken knife blades, buckles, bayonets, andother things. In the larger cavern they carved out the figure head of theIron Sphinx.
This was a sort of shrine in some of the rituals of the UniversityStudents of those days.
The cave was used as a brewery and was noted for its fine water out ofthe old well shaft and its never changing temperature of 56. We havefound many old bones imbedded in the sandstone wall of the caverns andalso in excavating the floors.
Many old lead slugs were dug up in one part of the lower cavern whichwere crude. Counterfeits of [$1.00?] and 50 coins.
The cave was, we believe, the hideout of counterfeiters in the earlydays. The first cow brand used in Nebraska is cut out into the walls.
The J. E. T.
J. E. THOMPSON
"JET" Brand
In 1908 and old cowhand visited the cave and claimed this was one ofthemost important brands ever used in Nebraska and he said, the first.
Mr father was a Quaker and attended Quaker College in Salem Iowa. Hecameto Nebraska in 1884 and settled near Cambridge. He was interested indecoration work for expositions thru'out the country.
He acquired title to the cave about 1906 and started to clean them outfor the purpose of raising mushrooms. But the people began to gossipandthought he was digging for buried treasure. They came in crowds to watchhim and his operations. They believed anyway that there was treasureburied about the cave. However nothing of the sort was ever found thoughthat could be established. There is little doubt but what things of valuewere concealed in some way here and probably today if one knew wheretoexplore some part of the takings of early outlaws could be uncovered.
There is a story about some boys from the boys home just north of here,[?] about 1904 gotten into the cave one day and dug around. They returned tothe home that night and later it was told about that they some goldwatches, breast pins and gold pieces. These were supposed to have beentaken from them by the attendants or overseer at the home, but thereisnothing to prove any of this.
I have notices, as well as other, something which we always associatedwith Nebraska Life. The people here always whistle a great deal. We thinkthat it was because of some local condition. Sometimes they could whistlegood tunes and even better opera music and sometimes they just whistledwithout much purpose only to whistle.
People have said this was because of the wind always blowing in Nebraskawith a whistling sound, caused the people to imitate it.
But also there was lots of dust in the air and maybe they could whistleand thus relive themselves without inhaling the dust.
It is likely that only Pawnee Medicine Men and chiefs came to this cave.The Indians in the tribal or colony ranks would hardly dare to venturenear the spirit world. And then any human mostly goes to the shrine andworships his God or sacred place, only when adversity comes to him. Intime of trouble men always turn to their God, or mother for help. Whenthings run smooth, they grow more or less indifferent and independent.
My father went to Quaker College ([?]) at Salem Iowa. He married at Salemin 1876, May Wilmuth. They came to Nebraska in 1884, and finally tookover this old historic cave. He was how important as a NebraskaHistorical [Land Mark?] it was and was active in research work to gatherdata about it, It had served as a refuge in time of storm, winterblizzards, Indian hostilities and while man depredations.
As people came to know of it, it became a point of great interest asitpresents still the atmosphere and surroundings of the romantic earlydaysand one can in its cavernous depths be carried back and relive thedramatic moments of those earlier days.
Such life was lived at this spot, which can only be imagined.
The people as a group living near here had numerous ideas about thisopening into the earth and were possessed of varying emotions concerningit.
Today it is still a place [??] for entertainment, education, andtraditional inspiration.
One sort of can get the feel of those years, long past and somethingofthe drama of that pioneer wild west life.
Data (GEDCOM) maintained by Jay Weston Hannah, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
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